Trade : TRIPS waiver galvanizes members at WTO & outside to combat Covid (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Although around 90 countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO) have supported the proposed temporary TRIPS waiver to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a dozen opponents led by Japan, the European Union, Canada, and the United States, however, have continued to adopt so-called "diversionary" tactics to stall the progress of the waiver.

Trade : Proponents of proposal on export restrictions suffer major setback (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Singapore and many other supporters of a proposal on removing export restrictions on the supply of foodstuff to the World Food Programme (WFP) suffered a major setback at the World Trade Organization on 18 December, after they failed to answer questions raised by India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Botswana among others.

Trade : Proposal on promoting "development & inclusivity" gathers momentum (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
A proposal by the African Group, Cuba, and India on "strengthening the WTO to promote development and inclusivity" has gathered momentum at the World Trade Organization with support from many developing countries.

Afghanistan : Peace talks, security transition but higher levels of violence (PRIV)
(IPS, Bonn)
While Afghanistan ends a historic year, filled with the hope for peace as the government and Taliban sat down for almost three months of consecutive peace talks for the first time in 19 years, it was also a year filled with violence with provisional statistics by the United Nations showing casualties for this year being higher than 2019.